The history of cheesecake

Recently, cooking has become an increasingly more popular occupation. It’s a trendy hobby, there are TV contests to back it and, let’s admit it, it just might be our way back to a healthier nutrition and life. So I was thinking we’d talk about something sweet and nice today: The history of cheesecake, one of the most popular sweets in the world today.

As all popular things, cheesecake has risen to prominence thanks to American publicity. But this doesn’t mean the dish is an innovation.

Cheesecake is apparently as old as Ancient Greece. Ever since the beginning of time, the Greeks have raised cows, goats and sheep, so milk and cheese have never been absent from the table of the people.

Later on, the Roman Empire adopted many of the traditional dishes and cheesecake was one of them. We are sure the Romans thoroughly enjoyed their cakes.

In more recent times, the first English recipe of cheesecake was found in a cookbook called “Forme of Cury”, published in 1390. As this is probably the first written evidence of “modern cheesecake”, it fueled the argument that this dish is in fact an English invention.

And back to America, the truly modern and renowned cheesecake, the one made of soft cheese cream, sugar and eggs, was developed by chef William Lawrence in 1872. Granted, the influence was positively… French, as the New Yorker was seeking to mimic the mushy and soft consistency of Neufchatel cheese.

So the history of cheesecake is a… rather “globalist” one, if you like. What we have to live with is the following: no matter its origins and winding journey, it’s a cake we all love. It’s a “modern classic dish” and it’s probably here to stay!

So wherever you decide to have a slice of cheesecake, we wish you: Bon appetit!